Theories
by Jena Rink
Summary: 5 years after Conclusions, everyone is living their own seperate lives. Until a dissappearance forces someone to come back to fufill a promise, and things get turned upside down.JV, LJClone, MC, JOC, ZJfriendship, SV, etc.......finally started updating!
1. Chapter 1

**Strange Days At Blake Holsey High  
Theories**  
_ jena rink_  
_ january 29th, 2006_  
this picks up after conclusions...5 years after graduation.  
and I dont own anythinng...yep...thats about it.  
and composer doesnt have a good spellcheck, so sorry about that.

In a large oak paneled room, covered in desks, 300 students worked furiously, glancing at the clocks in the room every so often to check the time. At a desk near the front of the room, a small redhead scribbled into her blue book, looked at the clock, and closed it with a snap, standing up. Despite her finals, her mind was elsewhere. And it had been for the last six years. She put her paper on the professors desk, smiled uncertainly at him, and walked out the door. She was done with grad school. And she felt no sense of accomplishment. She squeaked when someone picked her up, and smiled a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hi, Jeff..."she said, trying to sound excited, and , and accepted the kiss he gave her.

"How'd it go?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Well, I guess..."Jose said softly, and they walked down the hallway together.

"So I was reading up on lab positions, and there's place called Perady-"she cut him off, momentarily forgetting her composure.

"I can't work at Peradyne!"she said loudly, and frowned at the looks the students were giving her,"Sorry..."she muttered, and walked down the steps, glancing back at him.

"You got some mail today..."Jeff said, attempting to change the subject, and pulled two envelopes out of his bag. Josie grabbed them, looking them over, a strange look on her face,"I really don't understand why we can't use our address, Jose..."

"The only thing that decides our destiny is our own actions..."she mused, reading the return adress on the first envelope, a grin on her face.

"Who's Noel Zachary, by the way...he writes you a lot..."she lost it again.

"Maybe some things in my life are meant to stay private, ok Jeff?"Josie burst out, and immedietly regretted her words. he patted her shoulder, and she forced a grin.

"It's okay, you're just stressed..."he kissed her,"I'll see you after class okay?"she nodded, watching him walk off, and made her way to a spare bench, sitting down and tucking her legs underneath her,"Love you!"he called back, and she winced.

"You too..."she responded, opening Z's letter.

_Dear Josie-_

_How are your finals going? It seems it was just yesterday you were standing in the science room, lecturing me on the simplicity of molecularly deconstructing a science teacher. And now here you are, about to finish grad school and start a career. Things are strange here, as per usual. Enrollment is way up and we're set to break ground on a new science building later this year. Any chance you could come up for the ribbon cutting? I'm sure Sarah and Victor would appreciate it. Not to mention me. _

_Josie, I know how difficult this must be for you. Especially this time of year. If you need to talk, you know my number. I'm always here for you, I hope you know that. Write me when you get the chance, or just call me. Sorry for the short note, things have been moving faster than I expected. And someone just pulled the fire alarm in the girls dorms..._

_Z_

Jose grinned, and closed the letter, leaning back and closing her eyes. She hadn't seen any of them in five years. And today was the 6th anniversary of the day she had gone through the wormhole for the last time. And everyone wouldn't give up. They were still trying to talk to her. They didn't understand. She only corresponding with Victor, Z, and the Janitor occasionally. Her new life revolved around hiding her past. And she liked it that way.

She started walking, and was home before she even realised it, unlocking the door and rushing to answer the ringing phone.

"Hello?"Josie questioned, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Hi Shortcake! How was your last final?"Josie rolled her eyes.

"Hey, mom..."she said tiredly, flipping on the tv and preparing to tune her out,"Listen...I'll be in town tomorrow, and I'd love to have dinner with you and Jeff..."

"Mom..."Josie warned,"I..."

"Josie, I just adore him! The two of you are so cute!"she said, and Josie stopped listening, focusing on the tv.

"Yeah, perfect..."she frowned at the image, and turned it up, listening.

"So, any special ladies in your life Mr. Wheeler?"a talk show host asked, and Marshall nodded.

"Yes..."he'd gotten taller, and a smile lit up his face,"We went to prep school together...she's my best friend..."

"That's a shame..."the host said, and Marshall laughed softly.

"I've never been happier in my life...I'm taking a year off to spend time with her...we're moving back to where we grew up.."he said, and Josie scowled, turning off the tv.

"Mom, Just call me when you get here...I'll meet you at 5:30...love you..."she hung up, and stared at the rain that was begining to pelt against the window, her expression sour. Meanwhile, the other envelope laid unopened and unassuming on the kitchen table.

Miles away, where the rain lashed against the single lit window of a large building in the middle of the woods outside of Ontario, a young but tired looking man crouched exhaustedly over his desk, red ink stained fingers tapping idly on the desktop.  
Looking at the desk, one couldn't be sure what exactly he was grading. Numerous styrafoam cups, balled up pieces of paper, and candy bar wrappers littered the stained wooden desk. One could easily say that it was untidy.

Behind him, shadows fell over the numerous beakers and various scientific equipment that covered the many tables. On the wall, his degrees read masters in engineering, major in molecular biology, and minor in quantum physics, all from Oxford. On a small shelf, his Blake Holsey High Diploma sat, alongside a picture frame, so small it was almost irrecognisable. They were both coated in dust.

He sighed, and glanced out at the rain again. It was nights like this, when he couldn't sleep, had papers to grade, and it was raining, that he thought of her. He always thought of her. And he couldn't save her. After five years of persuading Durst, Vaughn, and the rest of the Board of Directors to not tear down the school where he had grown so much, he had failed. And now he'd never find the other Josie. As much as he'd investigated how to find her in the last few years, it had proved to be a fruitless endeavor. And here he was, teaching most of the science classes, an emotional wreck, and completely isolated from most of the people he truly cared about. He jumped when the door opened, and turned to face a farmilliar mentor.

"Z..."he said simply, and turned around, continuing to grade.

"This looks like your old dorm room..."Z commented wryly, and Lucas rolled his eyes,"Hey! Look! A clean spot!"he added.

Z had grown older, but all there was to show for it were a few laugh lines around his eyes. He cleared his throat, and Lucas turned around.

"Do you need a drink?" Lucas asked,"Because I could sure use a drink..."

Forty minutes later, they were down in the teachers lounge, recalling old memories.

"Oh man...I wonder if Corrine still has Mr. Bunny Pants...I haven't talked to her or Marshall in years..."Lucas said, laughing.

"She was always ready to give almost anything for the cause of science..."Z paused,"Anyone like that these days?" he questioned.

"Nah...I think we have more Josies' than Corrines' this year..."he said, and they fell silent. Lucas tried to change the subject, "But I think you'd know all about that, Principal Zachary..."he paused,"You finally gave Lynsey dentention...ya big softy..."

"I had to...she never goes to class...reminds me of someone we both used to know..."Z said, laughing, and realised what he had said,"Wow..."he murmered,"we should get some sleep...I'll see you in the morning..."

"Yeah..."Lucas said vaugely, watching him leave the room.

The living room was finally bar, and Marshall dusted his hands off.

"And that's the last of it..."he said to himself, and turned at his girlfriend's voice.

"For someone who claims to be at the gym so much, you're sure panting a lot..."Corrine pointed out, her hand on her hip. She walked over and handed him a glass of water.

"Thanks..."he kissed her temple, and drank the water quickly.

"Your welcome..."she said lightly, and smiled up at him,"We should get going soon if we want to get there before dark..."

"If it gets dark are we gonna need Mr. Bunny Pants?"Marshall asked, and she sighed.

"For your information, I;m not leaving until you take a shower...because you smell..."she shot back.

"Corrine, you think if I get sweat all over you you'll smell too?" Marshall asked, and picked her up before she could answer, hugging her around the middle and burying his face in her hair, laughing.

"Marshall! Ew!" Corrine laughed, and they broke apart when the doorbell rang.

"That must be the movers..."Marshall glanced at the empty foyer,"Let's go..."

"I'm gonna smell the whole way to Canada..."Corrine said, and Marshall, turned back, grabbing her hands.

"Birds of a feather, Cor..."he locked eyes with her,"And you're beautiful no matter how you smell..."he kissed her softly, and opened the door.

"I can't believe we're moving back to Ontario..."Corrine said, and Marshall turned on the car.

"I can't believe you're gonna be working at Peradyne Industries..."he responded, and she sighed.

"Let's just take the next couple of weeks as they come at us...after all, things can't be that bad. There's no Black Hole..."she said.

"So when we get there...things don't have to be like boot camp..."Marshall said, and Corrine snorted.

"As long as it's not as disorganized as Europe..."Corrine noted, and Marshall grabbed her hand.

"We had fun.."he reminded her, and she grinned.

"Best summer of my life..."she assured him, and leant back, staring out the window. She couldn't believe they were actually going back.

Her life seemed perfect to everyone. The perfect husband, the perfect son. Sarah Person often wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn't of been sent to Blake Holsey. She wouldn't have had Vaughn, she wouldn't have married Victor. And she woulnd't have a secret that was eating away at her.

"Mom?" her head snapped up, and she smiled.

"Vaughn! You're back..."she hugged him tightly,"How was Paris?" he didn't answer, and met her eyes. He looked haunted.

"You look sick, Vaughn...have you been eating?"he nodded.

"I promise I've been eating..."he assured her, "But I've got really bad jet lag, and I'd like to get some rest before Lucas attacks me for tearing down Blake Holsey...someone didn't tell me about the vote..."he pointed out, and she nodded.

"It's been five year...there wasn't anymore we could do..."Sarah said, and he nodded.

"I know..."he paused,"Five years..."he glanced at the picture of the Science Club on the mantle, only really looking at one person. But he would never admit that to anyone. Least of all himself.

The way things ending had led Vaughn into countless early April vacations to find himself. Paris, Hawaii, anything to take Josie off his mind. The only problem was that it never worked. The result of his inner turmoil was a sleu of girlfriends, none of which lasted more than a few weeks. And Vaughn's constant unhappiness. He knew he could have anyone he wanted. But all he wanted was her back.

"Vaughn, son, you're back..."he accepted his father's hug, and raised his eyebrows.

"I'm gonna go and get that sleep I was talking about..."he paused,"I'll see you in the lab tomorrow..."he made his way upstairs, and collasped onto his bed, staring out his skylight and at the stars overhead. He picked up a picture of them, the same as the one of the mantle, and sighed softly. He had no idea where he had gone wrong.

Meanwhile, Sarah was staring up the stairs after him.

"He looks worse than the last time..."Sarah said, and leant against Victor, her head on his shoulder.

"Well until he realises what he does need, he will only get worse.."Victor reminded her,"And he only needs one thing..."

"Which is what?"

"Not all those girls he's been seeing..."Victor kissed the top of her head,"Let's go to bed...it's late..."

"Can anyone other than Nichelle answer the question?" his back was to the students, but he immedietly knew that only the know it all Sophomore could answer.

"Save yourself the greif and just have me do it..."Nichelle said,"It's Benjamin Franklin..."she added, and Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Very good, Nichelle, but since it appears that no one else did the reading, they'll be a 20 question exam on it tomorrow morning..."he kept talking, and Lynsey Davies tuned him out. She had gotten really good at that since her arrival at Blake Holsey two years ago. She tapped her pencil violently on the countertop, and it went flying when Lucas put his hand on her shoulder.

"And that is daydreaming..."he said. They all watched the pencil soar across the room and hit Vaughn in the forehead, who had just opened the door. Lynsey stifled a laugh.

"Good form, Lynsey...10 points extra credit..."Lucas said, as the bell rang, and glanced at Vaughn, his eyes narrowed.

"Do you always teach your students the art of pencil launching?"

"No, but you're a fair target..can I help you?" Lucas said coldly, walking back to his desk.

"We need to talk, Professor Randall..."Vaughn said, and Lynsey paused, dropping her book and ducking down, listening intently.

"Talk away, Vaughn..."Lucas busied himself at his desk.

"Not going to waste any time with the formalities, are you?"

"You look up formalities in a dictionary?"Lucas shot back.

"I was in Paris, Lucas...they didn't tell me..."

"Of course you didn't know...you were too busy drowning your sorrows in old Paris..."Lucas said snidely.

"Lucas, that's..."Vaughn paused," You're stuck on someone we can never get back...you know that!"

"So are you!" Lucas shot out, his eyes flashing,"And you wanna know the reason why Josie has a PO Box and not an address, and why none of us have heard from her in years? You! You drove her away!"Lucas yelled.

"This isn't about..."Vaughn trailed off.

"You can't even say her name!" Lucas said angrily, and Vaughn punched him.

"This isn't about J-Josie..."he said quietly, and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Lynsey waited until Lucas had followed, and stood up shakily.

"Whoa..."she said, and stepped out the door, closing it behind her.

So, what did you think? You should review. Because I have like...a lot more, but Im not really gonna feel like typing it unless you give me reviews:)  
_**Jena**_


	2. The filler fighter

Strange Days At Blake Holsey High  
Theories  
Part Two- The filler fighter...  
Jena Rink  
January 30, 2006

I don't own it. Don't sue me. If I did own it it wouldn't be OVER. Obviously. Gosh. And I wouldn't be writing so much if y'all didn't write me such lovely reviews! Thank you so much it seriously made my day! I was all upset that Dr. McDreamy and Meridith didn't kiss on Grey's Anatomy, and signing on to see reviews...just made me so HAPPY! And by the way, this chapter has a lot I'm really anxious for you to read! It's a little short, but it sets one piece of the plot in serious motion, and that's always important!

hrtbreaker- Glad to know you're interested. I used to stick to Harry Potter all the time, but it's good to branch out. Now I read all kinds. Thanks for the review!  
cali-beach-babe-Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy whats next!  
Heidi-Thats right Josie and Vaughn forever! I've always thought that!  
dreamhaven-I hated the loose ends too. I wanted Josie and Z's father daughter like relationship to be put more into play, as well as the fact that Josie DID pull away when Vaughn tried to kiss her. If you look at it, he betrayed her. He stopped looking for her, and from my opinion, even started to like Corrine a little too much.That coupled with the fact that he didn't even think enough about betraying his father, or listen to Josie in the end, is enough to make him feel the results of his actions for the rest of his life. That's something you'll see played out with his character. He's very guilty, and it's whats ruined his life. He's become his father, fixated on an event he can't go back and change.  
Chocolatte- I'm so glad you like it! You'll be really happy. "the other josie" is going to play a huge part in this story. I have plans for her. And obviously Lucas plans to find her. The chemistry between them in Conclusions was awesome, you can't just let something like that go...and I hated how they just found a way to get rid of her!  
Havoc Sin- I'm so glad you enjoyed the first chapter! And it is going somewhere! Yay! w00t. do you go to homestarunner? I positively love teen girl squad...heehee.

And without further ado, the chapter...

She was nervous. Okay, that was an understantment. She'd been walking around the city for at least an hour. And now she was late. She entered the resteraunt, spotting her mother and Jeff, and slid into the booth next to him, ignoring the look on her mother's face.

"I'm sorry I'm late...I was thinking about things and I lost track of time..."Josie apologized, and Jeff put his arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay, I ordered for you..."Kelly hadn't made a sound, and Josie glanced at her.

"I'm gonna need some wine..."she said simply, and Kelly frowned.

30 minutes later

"Are you going to eat?" Jeff asked her, concerned, and Josie clenched her teeth.

"Im not hungry..."she said softly, giving him a fake smile.

"What is wrong with you tonight?"Kelly asked finally, and Josie set down her empty glass.

"Mom, don't make a scene..."she said,"Check the calendar..."she added dryly.

"That was six years ago..."

"Jose...Ms. Trent..."Jeff started, and they shot him a look. He stopped talking.

"And it's your fault!"Josie said, grabbing her coat and standing up,"Or who should I blame? Daddy?"she added snidely, and walked towards the door.

Jeff just looked apologetically at kelly, before following Josie out into the rain.

"Josie! Wait!"he yelled, and she slumped her shoulders, sitting down on an empty park bench. He followed.

"Jeff...this..."he cut her off.

"I know..."he said, and she glanced at him,"I never had your heart, as much as I wanted it..."she hugged him..

"I'll be gone by next week...I'm...um...sorry..."she said, tears flooding her eyes. 

"Okay..."he said, and she got up, walking down the street and away from the resteraunt. Her heel broke, and she burst into tears.

"Damnit!"she sobbed, and Jeff got up.

"Josie, do you need..."

"I'm fine!"she interupted him, and continued to limp up the street. When she stumbled in the door of her apartment, pacing was the only thing on her mind. That was until she noticed the non-descript envelope sitting on the kitchen counter. She was all packed, and about to leave, and paused, staring at the postmark. Her eyes narrowed.

"That can't be right...040405..."she flipped the envelope over, reading the adress, and typed it into her palm pilot.

"Empty address...formerly Blake Holsey High?"she schreeched, and opened the envelope with shaky fingers.

_Everything happens for a reason, Josie. Everything. _

She grabbed the note, stuffing it in her pocket, and left, with only one destination in mind.

When she got to the train station, she picked a destination with her eyes closed.

"One to Rockaway Beach, please..."she said softly, and got her ticket, walking towards the bar, her face unreadable. 

An hour later, the bartender had heard Josie's entire life story.

"And that's how I ended up here..."she finished,"Completely alone..."

"No one is ever completely alone..."the bartender remarked, and Josie scoffed, fighting the urge to say 'Wanna bet?'.

"I don't think you know what I mean..."she said instead,"I need a friend..."

"Who?"he responded, and she slapped the table.

"A friend...but see...that's the problem...I don't have any friends..."Josie said, her voice cracking,"And my heels broken and I have a pyscho stalker..."she paused,"He writes me letters...I need to call someone.."

"And who would you call?"her eyes lit up.

"Z!"she said simply, and dialed his number, a determined look on her face.

"Did you, or did you not..."Lucas hiccupped,"Enter my office despi-"the rest of the sentence was lost to mumbles, until Lucas added,"Lucas, Lucas Lucas...", giggling.

"You're drunk..."Z said simply, and Lucas shook his head.

"No Lucas No! No! No!..."Lucas responded firmly, and Marshall burst out laughing. Z just shook his head.

"Z!"Corrine said suddenly,"We're home!"

"And I'm very happy for you..."he told her, picking up his phone when it started to ring.

"Noel speaking..."he said, and jumped when Lucas came up behind him. "Hellooooooo!" he said merrily, and Z got up, walking down the hall.

"I really don't know what I'm doing right now!" Josie slurred, and Z looked puzzled.

"Um...who..."

"Shortcake!" Josie said happily, "Hi Z!" he took off his glasses, cleaning them.

"Who's that?" Corrine called.

"Who's the people?" Lucas questioned.

"Z, who..."Marshall started.

They all said this at the same time, and Z massaged his temples.

"My girlfriend..."he lied, and Josie made a face.

"Ew! Z! I'm not your girlfriend! Gross!"Josie schreeched, and he winced.

"I'm going to take this somewhere else..."he told them, and rolled his eyes when Corrine and Lucas started making kissy noises,"You're less mature then when you were my students!"he called, closing the bathroom door and leaning against the sink, his face immedietly turning serious.

"Josie..."he said softly, and she grinned. 

"yes!"she responded triumphantly.

"Josie, are you okay?" he asked, and she blew up.

"Of course I'm not okay!"she burst out, and took a sip of her beer,"You know exactly why I'm not okay!"she added, and Marshall opened the door, grinning cheekily at Z.

"Inquiring minds want to know..."he grabbed the phone, and closed the door.

"Marshall!" Z yelled. Marshall ignored him, pressing the phone to his ear.

"They know...I'll have to go back there...I can't be alone there again..."she paused,"A year was long enough Z! Don't let it happen again..."his face turned white, and he almost dropped the phone, opening the bathroom door and handing Z his phone.

"Thank you, Marshall..."Z said, sharing a look with him. They'd discuss this later.

"I'm going to take this out back..."he dissappeared out a side door, and sat down.

"Josie where are you?" he said, and she started crying.

"Don't let me go there again..."she sniffled. 

"Josie...it's okay...I'm here.."he said quietly, and she snorted.

"But you're not! You're not here!" Josie said, tears blurring her eyes,"I couldn't stay there...you were all so different...things had changed..."she hiccupped. 

"I'm sorry..."

"No you're not...that letter wasn't funny..."Josie said coldly.

"What let-"

"Everything happens for a reason Josie...everything?" she questioned, "Does that ring any bells?"she added angrily. 

"You know I would never..."she cut him off.

"I dont know what I know anymore..."Josie shot back,"I don't know who to trust..."

"You can trust me..."he assured her, and she started crying again. He could barely distinguish her words.

"When Avenir told me the truth...I wished it was you...I wished you were my father..."she sobbed.

"Josie...I..."Marshall stepped out on the deck, and Z held a hand up.

"I'm sorry you shouldn't have heard that...I really should be..."

"Josie no...where are you going?"he asked, and she sighed.

"I dont know...I'm sorry..."she hung up.

"Josie!"he called, and sighed, getting up.

"Anything you'd like to share with the class?" Marshall quipped, and Z jumped.

I know its way short. But its that way because the next chapter gets crazy. And it needs a lot of space! So review this so you get more! yay!  
Jena


	3. Interlude

_**Theories**_  
**_Jena Rink  
Chapter Three- An interlude (part one)  
February 1st, 2006_**

Review Responses:  
scifi-warper- Thank god he's a good principal...right? Vaughn's turned into Victor...he's a complete recluse, I really want to play that up, because even if...and who are we kidding...he sees Josie again, he wont be the type of person to comfront her. Not anymore at least. Marshall are Corrine are so cute they make me gag. I was totally disqusted with the fluffiness in that scene, but I had to do it. With so much angst and drama, there had to be some happiness. The janitor works at the new Blake Holsey, and that's all Im at liberty to say right now, because otherwise I'd be spoiling some big things. And Lucas teaching...I always thought of him that way! I know it's sad about the conversation with Z and Josie. She's really lost right now, and even though she hasn't talked to Z that much, she feels he understands her more than anyone. I hope that came across well. Thank you so much for reading and leaving a great long review that I could sink my teeth into! Looking forward to your next Aw...I'm glad you're hooked! I needed to write a good fanfic to keep my mind off the fact that Blake Holsey was over! I will try my best to finish this! I've got big plans for it. I just have a few holes to mend in the story before I can finish it. A lot of it is written already. Thanks for the review!  
Dreamhaven- Thanks! I've been trying really hard to stick to character. There's this scene later where most of them get together again for the first time in years, and it's just hillarious. I think I did Marshall, Vaughn, and Z perfectly in that scene...you'll just have to tell me when I post it. It's a ways away.   
hrtbreaker- Sorry about the cliffy! I'll fix the problem as soon as I can...I just have to write a little more filler and a scene that's proving REALLY difficult for me. I don't know why, because I know what I want to be in it...but until then, thanks for reading!  
Cali-beach-babe- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you hanging:( But things are only going to get more interesting, I promise. Lucas does have to find the other Josie! They are so meant for eachother! As Josie is for Vaughn. But none of it will happen right away...  
dragoneyes5000-Thanks! I really hope you stick with the story!

And here's something special for you guys!  
A little preview of what's to come...

_"I think we're all moody..."Vaughn said sourly, staring at the computer screen in front of him._

_"Nope, that's just you..."Marshall responded, his arm around Corrine's shoulders._

_"Oh excuse me if we're not all just like the happy couple!" Vaughn shot back, and downed his glass of scotch. Marshall rolled his eyes._

_"Would you look at that...its just like water now, isn't it?"Marshall said, and Vaughn clenched his teeth,"When was the last time you dated someone more than a week?"_

_"Try and be a little more optomistic, boys..."Z said tiredly._

_"Yeah, well lets take a look at the odds...shall we?" Vaughn said,"It took us a year to get her back! And now she doesn't talk to any one of us!"Marshall and Z shared a look,"She doesn't even know!"he added, pouring himself another glass. Corrine rolled her eyes. "Vaughn, stop..."he glared at her, and she shut up, leaning back against Marshall. Z just stared at the notes in front of him. His head felt like someone had dropped an anvil on it. It was going to be a long night. _

And here is the chapter! Or interlude...if you will...

This was a bad idea. Borrowing her mothers car to think was a very bad idea. She hadn't thought of that before she ended up in front of the school. And here she was, holding onto any thought that just maybe she could find a way to go back and make things normal again. If that was even possible. She'd been sitting under one of the trees in the back for what seemed like days. The day had passed, night had fallen, and she couldn't move. And her phone had rang at least six times. Josie didn't understand why everyone wouldn't leave her alone. It was what she was used to now.

Things were so different. She couldn't get her head around that. Marshall and Corrine were leaving anytime now for Europe, she'd only halfheartedly listened to them excitedly tell her what they were going to do over the phone. Maybe they'd already left. She'd lost track of time. It was easy for her to do that now. They promised they'd call her again before they left, but they hadn't. She wasn't suprised. As for Lucas, well, he was a little too preoccupied with getting the other Josie back. And then there was Vaughn. She hadn't seen him since right after graduation. Which, to her, was expected. She had pulled away. And she wasn't completely sure of whether or not she'd end up regretting that fact in the future. It would never work. That played in her head a thousand times over. You don't trust him, he doesn't trust you. he betrayed you, but in a way you betrayed him. And yet you spent every secound you were trapped thinking of him...she groaned...trying to stop her internal dialouge. This was pointless.

Her phone rang, and she picked it up, staring at her mother's number on the caller id screen. She'd have to talk to her sooner or later. No matter how angry she was. She took a deep breath, and picked up the phone.

"Hello.."she said simply, her lips pressed together.

"Josie...you're going to have to talk to me sooner or later..."Kelly said in response.

"Sorry, I'm still mulling over the fact that you knew who my father was, never told me...and am the reason Vaughn and Victor never trusted me...in fact..."she continued, her voice rising,"It's practically your fault I was stranded in an alternate dimension for an entire year!"she laughed, tears filling her eyes,"Oh, gosh...wait...I'm sorry mom! Maybe that was daddy!"Josie said sarcastically.

"Josie don't make me the villan in this..."

"If you weren't my mother I wouldn't even be able to look at you without wanting to vomit..."Josie said venomously, tears sliding down her cheeks,"Now if you'll excuse me, mom...I like to mull alone...before you drag me away from the only friends and family I've ever known..."she was sobbing now, and hung up the phone, hugging her knees to her chest. She couldn't stop crying. Everytime she started it errupted into a tidal wave. But when she stopped crying, she'd just circle her thoughts back to how alone she was, despite the fact that she was finally home. She should've just given the other Josie the information and let her go back. At least Lucas would've been happier then. That fact made her cry harder.

So, I know its short. So...my life is a living hell right now...and I just don't have the heart to type the rest of this up right now. henceforth...I PROMISE I'll put the rest of this chapter up tomorrow after I work. I just found out I owe my sorority way too much money and probably have to quit. That coupled with the 200 dollar speeding ticket I just got, and the news that one of my friends from high school committed suicide has made me really sad. So reviews would be the most wonderful thing ever, even if this is mighty short.


	4. Denial its not just a river in egypt

**Theories**  
**_Jena Rink_**  
Chapter Four- An interlude (part two/of two...)-Denial...

_ "Denial, its not just a river in egypt. its a freaking ocean..."Meridith Grey, Grey's Anatomy._

_  
_

_And for those of you that are wondering..._

_writing like this equals Josie's thoughts_

_**writing like this equals Vaughn's thoughts** _

February 8th, 2006 

Note: Fillers are boring, I am apologizing right now! Im sorry! I know y'all wanna know what happens and I'm stringing you along and what not. Promise the next one has a ton! I promise! Wanna peak? Well heres one for you!

_"Well, that was smooth..."Lucas said sarcastically, and brushed himself off, standing up. He didn't even have time to look around before he heard a voice._

_ "You shouldn't be here...he'll know..."he frowned, confused. _

_ "Wait...who..."he turned around to see someone he'd never thought he'd see again leaning on the doorframe. _

_She was taller, and her hair now fell to the middle of her waist. And her eyes were fixed on him, her lips thinned. _

_"What are you doing here?"she asked simply. Her eyes betrayed her attitude. _

It was still so surreal to him. His life had completely changed the second his mother had come back into his life. His father was a different person, and for the first time in his life Vaughn was seemingly happy. Seemingly happy, but still missing something. He never really had the chance to talk to her, and now he had no idea where she was. Marshall and Corrine had seen her one day last week, and it was only to say goodbye. She was distant, Corrine had told him over the phone, and hadn't seemed to thirlled about being back at all. Something, besides the obvious, had happened to her in the past year. And they had no idea what it was.

When he went for a walk earlier, he hadn't expected to end up where he was now; he'd been packing all day, and after dinner he'd excused himself, saying he needed to think. Some great idea, all he was doing was making himself more miserable. He'd been sitting on the edge of the fountain, staring at the locked door of the school, when he first heard the crying. He frowned, getting up, and made his way around the back, looking for anything that might stick out. And he found it.

In the form of a teenage girl, resting against one of the trees, her head resting on her knees, and a long curtain of red hair hiding her face. Vaughn knew immedietly who it was. He held his breath, watching her cry, and wondered whether or not he should say anything, considering how things had ended before. His heart won over his mind, and he spoke up.

"Josie?" he questioned, and she glanced up, meeting his eyes. When she realised who it was, her sobs increased. Vaughn wondered what he could have already done wrong. He croutched down next to her.

"Josie, you have to breathe..."she barely awknowledged him. He touched her shoulder, and she she jumped.

"I can't...I won't...I don't..."she couldn't catch her breath, and as a result only started her sentences. He pulled her towards him.

"Josie...you're hysterical...shhhh..."he murmered, rubbing small circles on her back,"Breath Josie...in and out..."she slowly calmed down, and hiccuped, locking eyes with him.

_What was he doing here? She came here to be alone, and...for some reason she felt better with his arms around her than she had since before she had left. _She glanced back up at him, and they both looked away. Her internal diolauge had switched back to bad idea by then, and she tried to get up.

_**She was leaving? Was she even going to talk to him? Or was she just going to run away from the awkwardness of the situation, like he had originally planned to do. **_Vaughn had no idea.

"What are you doing here?"she finally asked, looking over at the school.

"Everyone says goodbye in their own way..."Vaughn replied cautiously. He didn't want to scare her off,"And then of course there's us...where no goodbyes are ever exchanged..."she flinched, and glanced at her lap.

"Didn't I tell you once that that was easier for me?"Josie responded softly, playing with the hem of her shirt. He lifted her chin, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Josie..."she blinked, and a tear rolled down her cheek. He brushed it away gently.

"Please don't make this any harder..."she breathed shakily,"I don't know if I can..."he kissed her, and she immedietly leant into it, throwing all her doubts out the window for the time being. She put her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer. When it started to rain, they broke apart, panting.

"Do you want to go inside?"he asked, and held up a key. She shook her head yes, and grabbed his hand, running towards the door and stepping inside once he had opened it.

It was like being in a graveyard. Time seemed to stand still until he squeezed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs to the dorms. The beds, although devoid of anything but mattresses, were still there.

"The estate sale's tomorrow..."Vaughn explained,"That's why everythings still..." he winced. _**He sounded like an idiot.  
Why would she even want to know that?**_

"Oh..."she said, sitting on the edge of her old bed, glancing up at him, confused.She had no idea what to expect from him. He sat down next to her, and she leant against him, shivering softly.

"You're cold?"he asked, and took off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. She looked up at him through her lashes, and leant up, kissing his cheek softly. She pulled away quickly, her cheeks pink

_God...what am I in third grade...that was so stupid! I'm an idiot...a complete..._ her monolouge was cut short when he kissed her back. She responded tenatively. When she pulled away, they were both out of breath.

"Wow..."she managed, and forgot everything that was currently haunting her, kissing him again. Vaughn laid her down on her side gently, holding her waist like she was a porcelin doll. Her eyebrows raised in a question.

"Are you feeling better?"he asked breathlessly, and she nodded, her mind going through a million different thoughts. _How on earth was she supposed to tell him now?_

"God...you're beautiful..."he murmered, burshing a stray hair off her face. She glanced down, and back up at him, tears filling her eyes. She forced her self-revulsion down, and kissed him again, forgetting about tomorrow. When he put his hands on the hem of her shirt, his eyes met hers in a silent question.

She nodded, and placed her hands on the button of his shirt, beginging to remove them, and leant up to kiss him again. He was so gently. She realised his afterwords, her head laying on his chest.

"What were you doing out here anyways?"Vaughn asked her, his arms holding her close. She shrugged.

"Got in a fight with my mom..."Josie mumbled against his chest, her heart racing,"And you?" Things were about go go in a different direction.

"I was sick of packing..."he provided, his hand stroking her back softly.

"You're moving?" Josie questioned, feigning suprise. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard.

"Just into town..."she frowned, biting her lip,"What's your plan?" he asked, hoping to hear she was staying. He didn't want to even think about losing her again.

"Josie?"she stiffened, wrapping her arms around herself, her back to him.

"I don't have a choice..."she whispered softly. She was tearing up again.

"Josie you can't..."she cut him off, an edge to her voice. She'd switched back into reasoning mode.

"She's my mother...and no matter how angry I am with her...for what she did to us...to your parents...what Avenir did..."she frowned, bitting her lip to keep from crying. That name made her feel physically ill.

"What does Avenir have to do with it?" Vaughn asked, and Josie smiled ironically.

"He's my father..."she mumbled, and glanced out the window. She couldn't look at him. Not now,"He wanted me to do it...what you were doing..."she paused, her voice trembling,"He was so impersonal...I was just a tool to manipulate...the whole time...the second I got back he was there...and I was staring out the window, trying to get it through my head that he only needed me to acheive his own goals...I'd never even met him, and he..."

"I'm sorry..."Vaughn said quietly,"And your mom?" Josie swallowed.

"She doesn't want me to be anywhere near any of this..." he touched her shouler.

"Josie, you're an adult...you can..."she scooted away from him, sitting up. His hand dropped to the matress.

"I think I have to do this..."she mumbled,"But Vaughn, it doesn't..."

"Where are you going?"he asked, and she closed her eyes painfully. She had to lie.

"She says we're just gonna go where the road takes us..."Josie said, staring at the wall.

"When?" Vaughn asked, as if he already knew the answer.

"Tomorrow..."she whispered, her voice meek,"Vaughn..."

"So this is it then?"he said angrily, and she winced,"Were you even going to tell us?"

"Don't be like that...do you think this is what I want to happen?"Josie questioned, her voice raw.

"From the sound of it...yes!" Vaughn shot back, rolling over the face the wall. She lost her composure completely. "What is this? An ultimatum? You're such a child!"she whispered bitterly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm a child? So are you! You're holding it in!"Vaughn responded. She lost it.

"You were all dead! You all died!"she yelled at him,"Is that what you wanted to hear? I spent a year pouring over the what ifs, the last moments, the things I wished I'd gotten to say...I nearly lost my mind..."he froze. She was almost dressed now,"You were right. I want to go..."she paused, her anger doing all the talking,"In that year, you were all that kept me going. That fact. the hope. That somewhere you were okay. That somehow you cared..."she stopped in the doorway,"You obviously don't..."

She made it out the front door, and ran into someone.

"Should I ask you why you were trespassing or where my son is first?"she shook her head.

"I'm leaving...I'm going to Seattle in the morning...I...did Vaughn ever talk to you about me?"the question was burning in her mind. She had to know.

"He cares about you...something I failed to see until your dissappearance..."she nodded.

"I should have listened to you..."Josie said softly.

"Everything happens for a reason..."Victor said in response, and Josie glanced at the door.He wasn't coming.

"Take care of him..."she said,"I won't be here to..."

"I will..."he answered her, and she nodded. A second later her resolve broke.

"God why can't I stop crying?"she questioned, and he hugged her.

"You've got a lot on your shoulders...and if you ever need to talk about it..."

"I have your number..."Josie said,'Thank you..."she pulled away,"I'll be in touch..."

She had to force herself to move away from the school and back to the hotel. Every moment on the way to Seattle was an internal struggle. But eventually, she started to forget. And eventually, the pain in her heard faded to a dull ache, which was much better then how much leaving had hurt her at first. She was living in denial, and thats what kept her going.

Gah...so thats it...yeah...please review...love you guys! Thanks for being so supportive!

Jena...

oh and ps...thanks for all the FABULOUS reviews...you inspired me to type this after my day...which locking my keys in my car was only the begining of...gotta get out of this rut...ah!

I love you all!


	5. The Uh oh!

**Strange Days At Blake Holsey High**  
_**Theories**_  
by Jena Rink  
February 9, 2006

_Authors Note:_ So I tried to privately reply to everyone's review...so if I didnt it's because this is of this morning...and I didn't see your review yet...but I tried! Unless they were anon. So...this is the point of action ...the uh oh...the oh no! The OH MY GOD! the Freakin A! Are you kidding me! And by the way...100 fics you guys! Good job! yay! (I've been waiting to type this all day...after that its back to the World Religions...gah!)

Quote of the day:

_ At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. It's like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away.-Meridith Grey-Grey's Anatomy_

And here's the Chapter...

Chapter Five-**The Uh-Oh**

**_Last time, on Strange Days At Blake Holsey High: (I've always wanted to do that!)  
_**

_"I'm not sure what I know anymore!" she shot back,"I don't know who to trust!"_

_"You can trust me!"she was crying again, and he sighed,"Josie please calm down and listen to me..."_

_"When my fath-"she got out,"When Avenir told me I wished it was you..."she sobbed._

_"Josie..."he said softly, and she cried harder. In the next instant she seemed to regain her composure._

_"I'm sorry I shouldn't have let you hear that..."she swallowed as her train was called, and paid her bill,"Z I gotta go..."_

_"Josie where are you? Are you in Seattle?"_

_"No...the train station..."she said off handedly._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"I'm sorry..."Josie whispered._

_"Josie!"he got cut off, and she took a deep breath before boarding the train and finding a seat._

_When in the hell had her life become such a mess? Whatever the incident, it had something to do with Blake Holsey and Peradyne.   
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
_ Lucas was late. He opened the door to Z's office, and glanced around.

"Hey, Z, you in here?"he asked, and saw the closet door open a crack. Thinking that Z was in the closet, he opened the door, and winced when a box fell to the ground in front of him, the contents spilling to the floor.

"Great..."he muttered tiredly, and bent over to pick them up, his eyes scanning old Blake Holsey yearbooks, pictures of the science club, clippings documenting Josie's dissappearance, and a watch. But it wasn't normal. He frowned, picking it up.

This was so stupid. The last thing Lynsey needed was a teacher conference about her behavoir, again. She walked down the hallway, and heard a crash, walking cautiously towards Z's door. It was empty, but the closet door was open a crack. She glanced around to make sure, and made her way towards the closet, opening the door and peeking her head inside. Professor Randall had a watch in his hand, and she frowned. It didn't really look like a watch. The look on his face was really interesting though.

"Hey, Professor?"she questioned, and his head snapped up, his finger slipping over the face of the watch, and he fazed out of existence, his eyes fixed on her in a look of shock. Lynsey screamed, falling backwards, and jumped when she heard the door open.

"Lynsey?" Z asked, confused, as she scrambled to her feet,"Where's Professor Randall?" Z asked, and she turned to face him.

"He's not here..."she squeaked _Well it wasn't a lie..._,"Um...does this mean I don't..."

"You get two weeks detention..."Z responded, his eyes on the closet.

"O-kay..."she got out,"See you Monday then..."she left the room, and Z frowned.

Lynsey never just accepted detention, something was wrong. Not to mention that look in her face. He'd seen it before. And that worried him. Because the last time he'd seen that look was when Josie would lie to him about something. Something to do with the Black Hole. He noticed his closet door was open, and pushed it forwards slowly, hitting the box of his old things from Blake Holsey.

"That's strange..."he murmered, and put everything back, putting it on teh shelf. He never noticed that the watch was even gone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

12 hours earlier:

Marshall stared at Z, his mouth slack.

"She talks to you?" he asked, glancing back to make sure Corrine and Lucas weren't listening. Inviting them all over seemed like a great idea at first. And now there was already a problem,"Josie talks to you?" he said again.

Z didn't respond. He was dialing a number. He sighed.

"Josie this is crazy...pick up your phone...I know you're looking at the caller id right now...Am I going to have to wait another three months for you to call me back?"he said tiredly,"You're being irrational...we'll find who's sending you the letters Josie...Go back to Seattle, go back to your apartment...and relax...and then call me..."he hung up, and glanced over at Marshall.

"Josie's been calling me every three months since she moved to Seattle with her mother...five years ago..."Z said, and Marshall's eyes widened.

"How could you not ask her to come back?" he asked, and Z shook his head.

"She doesn't want to come back here..."Z told Marshall,"She wont tell me why..." he paused,"The first time she called was about a week after she left..."  
about five years earlier...

"Hello?" Z asked, putting down his book and leaning back in his chair.

"Isn't it weird that I miss your advice and I was gone for a whole year?" Josie asked, staring around her bedroom, which was covered in boxes, all with clothing spilling out of them.

"Josie...getting settled in?"he asked, and she sighed.

"I want to pack back up and come back...I keep thinking my mom might realise what this is gonna do to me and reconsider..."Josie said, her voice calm,"We all can dream..."she added sarcastically.

"When one door closes another opens..."Z reminded her, and she smiled.

"Okay Hellen Keller..."she said back, sitting on her bed and hugging her knees to her chest.

"And back on subject...are you happy?" Z asked, and Josie frowned.

"I miss everyone...even Victor..."she admitted,"Z...I..."

"And did you tie things up the right way...with everyone..."he asked.

"You...yeah...Victor...yeah...the Janitor...but not anyone else..."Josie murmered, looking at her photo album, her eyes landing on a photo of her, Lucas, and Vaughn.

"Did you ever choose?" Z asked.

"I still...I can't talk about that..."she'd shut him out again. He frowned.

"It's okay...just call me next week after your classes start...I do care how my favorite student is doing, you know..."she smirked.

"Ha, ha...I'll call you...okay?" her voice was hopeful.

"Okay, Josie..."she hung up and closed her eyes tightly, leaning against the headboard. This was harder than she'd thought it would be.   
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So it's something to do with Lucas and Vaughn?" Marshall asked,"Why does that not suprise me?"

"She never wants to talk about it...and neither does Lucas..."Z said, and got up,"I'll take Lucas to his apartment...just stay here and take care of Corrine..." Marshall nodded.

"Can I..."

"No one can know...you shouldn't know..." Marshall waited until Z was gone and Corrine was sound asleep to attempt a phone call.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The number was unavailible, and she forwned, finally deciding to pick up.

"Hello?"she grumbled, clearly hungover. Marshall smiled.

"Josie..."he said, and she frowned.

"Marshall?" she questioned tiredly, rubbing her temples.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, and she groaned.

"You were there,"she asked,"Or he told you?"

"I grabbed the phone..."he said in response,"Z's worried...you aught.."

"Realistically I shouldn't even be talking to y-you..."she trailed off, opening the door to her hotel room. An envelope was sitting on the bed, adressed to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and she approached the bed cautiously, grabbing the envelope and tearing it open,"Josie..."

"The only thing that decides our destiny is our own actions..."she breathed,"Oh, my God...'she added, starting to breathe heavily,"Marshall...can I call you back?"

"Sure, but Jos-"she hung up, and he frowned. What was going on?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Josie was convinced that flying to New York was the best desicion. As was turning off her cellphone. Taking an airplane was much safer, and faster, than taking a train. In fact, Josie felt more safe that she had before she got the first letter. During the 6 hour flight, she slept. When they landed at JFK, she took out her phone, turing it back on. She had 7 voicemails. She frowned, and glanced up when she felt someone standing over her.

"Josie Trent?" she nodded, her face paling when the flight attendant pulled out a small jewelry box. She grasped the lid, and opened it, slowly, her hands shaking,"This came for you about an hour before you got to New York..."she saw the pendant, and fainted.

"Miss Trent...you fainted...are you al-"she felt the pendant in her hand, and sighed,"You're phone has been going off for three hours..."

She got up as it started to ring again.

"Thanks for the help...I...Victor Pearson..."she smiled wryly.

Within a matter of minutes, of which she spent going to the exit, she had turned in the other direction, her face pale. On the plane once again, she wondered why she'd said yes.   
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He rolled out onto the floor, his eyes scanning the room.

"Well that was smooth..."he said sarcastically, and stood up, brushing himself off.

"You shouldn't be here...he'll know..."he frowned, confused.

"Wait...who?" he turned around to see someone he'd never thought he'd see again leaning against the doorframe.

She was taller, and her hair now fell to the middle of her waist. And her eyes were fixed on him, her lips thinned.

"What are you doing here?"she asked simply, her hands on her hips. Her eyes were betraying her attitude.

"I found you...I can't believe I finally found you..."he breathed, and she frowned as he came closer.

"Lucas? You were looking for me?" he hugged her, lifting her up, and she stiffened, her eyes widening.

"I looked for you every day..."he said, "I couldn't leave you here alone..."

"I'm not alone..."she responded,"And that's why we need to hide..."she grabbed his arm, and pulled him into the broom closet in the hallway, closing the door quickly.

"Wait...why..." she held a finger to her lips.

"You come here so much...why?" it was Avenir's voice, and Lucas' mouth opened into an O shape.

"I find it interesting to ponder what could have been..."came the reply. It was a man, sounding about Lucas' age.

"That sounds like Vaughn..."he whispered, as there voices faded down the hallway,"But he sounds too smart..."

"It's not Vaughn..."Josie assured him, her voice quiet,"It's Vaughn's brother..."

_Authors note: OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH, betcha didn't see THAT one coming...haha...okay...sorry...I'm going back now... (makes annoyed face)_

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

"Um...Victor Pearson please..."Z said, cleaning his glasses.

"He's in a meeting..." the receptionist responded, "Still, Headmaster Zachary..."she added, annoyed.

"I don't know if you understand that this is important..."Z said angrily.

"He's told me he'll speak with you in the morning..."

"Tell Mr. Pearson that it's happened again...to Lucas Randall..." Z said, and she paused.

"He says he'll be right over..."she responded, and Z nodded.

"Thank you..."he hung up, as Corrine walked in the door.

"You called?"she asked, sticking her head in.

"We should wait for the others..."Z said, and looked out the window at the brewing storm.

Meanwhile, Victor made an important call.

"Come on...Miss Trent..." he said, driving through the rain, his expression sour.

"Hello?"she sounded sick, and he sighed.

"Miss Trent..."he said, a small smile on his face.

"Victor Pearson... to what do I owe this pleasure?" Josie asked, walking through the terminal.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"JFK...why?"

"Do you remember when you said you'd always be there if your help was needed?"her lips thinned.

"Yeah...why?" she asked skeptically, grabbing her bag from the conveyor belt.

"There's a ticket to Ontario at the American counter...they'll get you through security...and my private jet is waiting on the runway..."he paused,"When you arrive a limo will be waiting...I need your help...we need your help..."

"Victor, I'm not really..."

"Lucas Randall dissappeared this morning..."she froze, and started to make her way towards the American counter,"And given the fact that he never gave up on you..."

"I'll be there as soon as I can..."she said, and hung up her phone, turning towards the desk.

And thirty minutes later, after being taken back through security, she was going back.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**_next time, on Strange Days At Blake Holsey High:_ **

_"She doesn't talk to anyone, and you're defending her?" Marshall coughed into his mug of coffee. _

_ "I'm defending her because no one here will..."he said._

_ "She's not your daughter..."Vaughn said, and got up,"And it was her desicion to isolate herself..."_

_ "I wish she was my daugher...better than the father she did have..."Z said,"Vaughn, just sit down...you're drunk...and this isn't going anywhere..."he apsued,"You're parents will be here in a minute, and..."_

_ "Hey, Uncle Z! There's someone here for the meeting...I think..."his head turned towards the door. _

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hey, so that's it for now...but its HUGE whoopdee freakin chapter that took me an hour to type because my dads office is FREEZING. But enjoy your weekend, probably wont update till next week so I wanted to make this long! Hope you like it! And I so got you...nobody saw the brother thing coming did they? did they? nope! smiles to herself

Love ya all

_Jena _


	6. Into the lion's den

theroies part 6

into the lions den

written a long time ago, but finally published by Jena rink

I can't even begin to explain why this took so long. I swear I'll get back on it more frequently.

Love you all,

Jena

It was now or never. Josie opened the doors to Peradyne Industries, her eyes immedietly scanning the room and meeting what appeared to be a teenager at the welcome desk, her feet up on it, and her nose buried in a book. It was huge. Far larger in comparision to the original Peradyne, which Josie had been in frequently during her trips to the past. She figured that Victor had a thing for large spacious buildings, and she was right. It was goreous, but that just made her even more nervous. Somewhere in this building were the people she'd been refusing to talk to for almost six years. And underneath the "so good to see you again's" and "how are you"'s she knew part of them hated her for leaving.

"You here for the meeting? I bet you are…."she said, and Josiejumped, pulling her luggage up to the desk.

"I'm Josie…Josie Trent.."she said, sticking out her hand. The girl shook it.

"Nichelle Zachary…"she said simply,"I'll put you're stuff behind the desk….you're late so we should hurry…"she grabbed her hand, pulling her down a labyrinth of hallways.

"Are you Z's…"

"He's my uncle…my parents died in a plane crash a few years back…"Nichelle said,"So they made Z my guardian and I've been here ever since…"They stopped outside of two closed oak doors, and Josie stopped, taking a deep breath. She could hear yelling from inside.

"This isn't the original Blake Holsey…people just don't disappear!" Corrine pointed out, her lips in a thin line. Marshall grabbed her hand under the table, and she squeezed it, staring at Z,"There's no Black Hole…there's nothing…ever that's happened here that would suggest anything like that…"

"Well done Corrine, how long did it take you to figure that out?" Vaughn said sarcastically, and Z sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"We could ask Josie…"Z ventured, and Marshall swallowed thickly.

"Why she doesn't talk to any of us…save for the letters..I don't know what she could possibly know…" Corrine said quietly, her face drawn.

"Josie, had a hard time…and I think it might be best if we ask for her help…."Z said again.

"She doesn't talk to anyone, why are you defending her?" Marshall coughed into his mug of coffee, and Corrine shot him a strange look.

"I'm defending her because no one here will…."

"She's not your daughter…"Vaughn said simply, and got up,"And it was her decision to isolate herself…"

"I wish she was my daughter…better than the father she did have…"Z said,"Vaughn, you're drunk, and this isn't going anywhere….your parents are going to be here in a few minutes…and…."Nichelle's voice cut them off.

"Hey, Uncle Z! There's someone outside to see you!" Nichelle said, and he rolled his eyes, stepping past Vaughn and out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"Nichelle, did you, or did you not bring someone up here despite my explicit instructions to stay downstairs?"he said, annoyed. Nichelle gave him a knowing smile.

"I think you'll want to see her…"Nichelle said, and he glanced up.

She was staring at a painting on the wall, her fingers running over the canvas lightly,her strawberry blonde hair a dead giveaway.

"Josie?"he questioned, and she turned around silently, staring at him,"What are you.."he walked forwards, and she hugged him tightly.

"Victor called.."she said wryly, hearing the screaming from inside the room.

"Sounds like the lions den in there…"she added weakly, and he shrugged.

"You'll be fine…"he told her, and opened the door slowly.

That was when she came face to face with Vaughn.

"I'm leaving I'll see you all in the mor-Josie…"Vaughn stood there, in shock, and she refused to meet his eyes, stepping past him and bracing herself for Corrine's hug, which immedietly came.

"Oh my god you came! How are you? Was your flight okay?" Corrine gushed, and she met Marshall's eyes over her shoulder. They'd talk later.

"Hey, Jose…"Marshall gave her a hug as the door opened and Sarah and Victor walked in.

An hour later they had still gotten nowhere.

"We'll meet tomorrow night…in the meantime I'll get Lucas' classes…."Marshall said, as they all stood up.

Josie found herself in the hallway again, staring at the pictures.

"Josie…it's good to see you…"she turned to see Sarah Pearson by her side, and smiled.

"These are beautiful.."she breathed, running her fingers over another one.

"Vaughn collects them…"Sarah said, and Josie glanced down.

"I was going to tell you…you're going to be joining Corrine in the labs tomorrow if that's alright…Victor had a desk set up with you until we figure this whole thing out…and Noel has offered up his guest room…"

"Thanks for all the help with this…"Josie said softly, and she nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning….."she told her, and walked off.

Somehow, on her way to the door Josie got more and more lost. She was frustrated, and it was late, and when she heard Vaughn's voice she snapped out of her reverie, turning to face him.

"You're going the wrong way…"he said, glancing behind him, and he caught her arm.

"Come on…"he said, his eyes meeting hers. They were haunted. She nodded, and shook her arm out of his grip, following him to the lobby.

"Thanks.."she said,"I um…"she turned. He was gone.

Getting Back in Vaughn's good graces was going to be harder than she thought.

sorry its so short, but the next part needs to stand alone...

please review...


	7. Complications and a preview

Theories Part Seven

Complications

By Jena Rink! 

Josie was in a bad mood. Vaughn hadn't spoken to her in the two months she'd been back, save for showing her where her office was. And it had been a bad day; failed tests, and her and Vaughn's combined bad attitudes. She wanted to punch something. And she still had one more meeting.

"You're late…"Victor reminded her, as she sat down between Marshall and Z, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"So, anything new?" Z asked tired.

There had been nothing. And Corrine and her had spent ever free moment looking for Lucas. Corrine just voiced Josie's thoughts.

"No…nothing….this may sound repetitive, but therre's no record of anything…"she paused, "Just like when Josie….we couldn't find her anywhere in history…"

"Which points to us thinking that Lucas is in an alternate timeline…just like I was…"Josie interjected, and Vaughn snorted. She glared at him.

"Anything you feel like sharing? Or are you just going to sit there and brood? I feel it's contributing to finding Lucas a lot…Vaughn…"Josie said viciously.

"It's obvious he's in an alternate timeline…"Vaughn shot back,"We already knew that…"

"I really don't see how you're helping the situation….heard you were like this when I disappeared…you obviously haven't grown up a lot since then…"

"As opposed to you?" Vaughn laughed,"You haven't found anything!" Vaughn said. Josie slammed her cup down, and got up.

"I really can't talk about this anymore….it's eating away at me…"she got up, and Marshall tried to follow her.

"Josie, you don't have to be strong…"Marshall started, and her lips thinned.

"Yeah Josie, why don't you just run away?" Vaughn questioned, his voice oddly cold. She froze, and didn't turn to face him.

"Maybe if someone had followed me the first time I wouldn't have run away…"Josie said softly, and Marshall sighed.

"I'm just going to take a guess that this isn't about Lucas anymore…"Marshall observed, and Josie walked out the door, closing it behind her so hard that it rattled on it's hinges.

Surprisingly, Vaughn followed her.

"Maybe we…"

"Just give them a few minutes Corrine…they need to talk this out…"Marshall said, and sat down next to her.

"Why are you following me?"she spunt around, and glared at him, her hands on her hips. She was crying. He didn't say anything, but he grabbed her shoulders, pushing her against the wall. She flinched.

"Why are you so angry?"he asked her, and she tried to shake out of his grip.

"Why are you?"she fired back.

"You run away the second things get too hard! Just like you did with me!" she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not getting into this with you right now…"she tried to move again, and he held her in place.

"Let GO of me…"she said softly. His eyes were boring holes into hers, and she shivered.

She had no way of realizing what would happen next. He kissed her harsly, his arms dropping to her waist. Her arms dropped in shock, but then came to rest around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Her legs felt weak. The damn of emotionis that had been kept inside her for six years was staring to fall down, and she broke away from him, both of them panting, resting her forehead against his.

"What, was tha-"she started shakily, and he kissed her again. She forgot was she was thinking, and leant into it, closing her eyes. Time didn't have any meaning to her at that moment, it was as if they were 18 again in her room at Blake Holsey.

Time came back to her when they heard a yell. She shot apart from Vaughn, and stared down the hallway at Marshall, who was about thirty feet away, his eyes wide with shock. She looked over at Vaughn, their eyes locking, and he walked off down the hallway, Josie and Marshall staring after him.

"Marshall, I should really…."he cut her off.

"How long has that…."

"You're as shocked as I am...I should follow…don't tell okay….I know that's gonna be hard…but I need…sorry…"she took off after Vaughn, Marshall staring after them, perplexed.

"Why is it always me?" he wondered softly. Why was he always the secret guy?

Twenty minutes into her search, she ended up in front of Vaughn's office door, her hand resting on the knob tentatively. What the hell had just happened? She started to open the door, and closed it behind her. It was pitch black, but she didn't have much time to think about that, because Vaughn pressed her against the door, his lips fused to hers again.

She ignored the severe wrongness of the situation, gasping slightly as he kissed her neck, and pulled his lips back towards hers. Josie ignored the voice in her head, threw caution to the winds, and kissed him back, shutting her eyes firmly. She stayed until she had two hickies, her lips were swollen, and her hair was a rat's nest. They were on a large couch, and she sat up, looking at him. He didn't meet her eyes, pulling his shirt back over his head.

"We need to talk to Marshall…"Vaughn said simply, and Josie frowned.

"We?"she questioned, and he ran his fingers through his hair, glancing over at her.

"I'll see you tonight at Marshall's…"he got up, and left the room, Josie still sitting there, her fingers running over her lips lightly.

Josie approached the house cautiously. Corrine had invited them all over, excited to show everyone their finally remodeled house. Of course, she couldn't say no. Earlier, she'd snuck back into Z's house, taken a long shower, and gotten ready, brushing her teeth and scrubbing her face vigourously. She still felt like she'd committed some sort of crime. She range the doorbell, and wrung her hands until Corrine opened the door.

"Hey, Josie!" Corrine said brightly, and opened the door fully, letting her in. Marshall, Vaughn, and Z were on the couch, while Sarah and Victor sat on the loveseat beside it, enjoying drinks and small talk. They all looked up when she entered.

"Hi…"Josie said, forcing a smile, and followed Corrine into the kitchen, leaning against the counter.

"How are you?" Corrine asked immedietly, and Josie shrugged, grabbing the drink that was handed to her and taking a long sip.

"I'm okay…I've calmed down a little I guess…"

"Did you talk?" Corrine ventured, and Josie snorted, her anger returning.

"We yelled….he's such a hard headed son of a bi-"Marshall opened the door, and she shut her mouth, taking another sip.

"Hey…"he kissed Corrine on the cheek, and she smiled softly,"Josie, can I talk to you outside for a second?"

"Sure…Corrine I'll be right back, okay?"she nodded, and Josie followed Marshall outside. Corrine frowned. They weren't telling her something.

"Corrine knows something's going on…"Josie noted, as they went onto the deck and leant against the railing.

"She made the face…"Marshall confirmed,"Josie, do you really want me to keep this from her?"

"Please…he said we were going to talk to you together, and of course it ended up being just me…but…"

"He talked to you?"

"That's all he said.."Josie remarked dryly, and Marshall noticed Vaughn in the doorway.

"I won't tell her Jose…but you're going to have to eventually.."he sqeezed her shoulder gently, and walked past her,"But I think Vaughn might want to talk…"he paused,"JUST talk.."he added. He closed the door as Vaughn walked towards her, and stood next to her. She took a deep breath, and glanced over at him.

"Are we going to talk about.."he shook his head, putting his arm on hers and pulling her towards him,"Vaughn…"he kissed her softly, and she steadied herself against the railing, kissing him back gently.

"Please talk to me.."she said, her hand on his cheek, and he backed off, staring at the door.

"Dinner's probably ready.."he said, and she frowned, watching him enter the house. She did a second later, and took a seat next to him at the table. This was going to be awkward.

Okay, that's the end of this chapter.

Please review it if you want more….

And here's a sneak peak of what's in the distant future for this story….

(You're not going to understand a word of this…I really just want to confuse you….LOL)

_For some reason she couldn't leave him. She sat by his bed all night, his hand firmly in hers, her thumb rubbing across his palm lazily as she gazed at his face. This was so unfair. She'd unlocked the door, raised the blinds, and gotten ready to leave hours ago. And she couldn't force herself to move, despite the risks. And then the door opened. _

"_Who are-"her head snapped up, and he sighed,"Hey-"he added softly._

"_Lucas.."she said simply. He didn't know. But that didn't mean he couldn't find out. _

"_What are you doing here?"he asked her, and she glanced back at him._

"_He was all alone…someone had to come.."she responded, her hand still on Vaughn's. _

"_That was really…thanks…"Lucas responded lamely, and sat next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder gently. She tensed up._

"_You okay?"he questioned lightly. _

"_I'm fine…"she said uncertainly, and met his eyes. He hugged her, and she fought back tears. This was ripping her in two. And she couldn't say a thing. Especially with…_

"_The doctor's say he's gonna be fine…we just have to keep an eye on him.."she bitt her lip, and glanced down at him again. _

"_Then we will…"she said, and closed her eyes tightly when Lucas kissed her, leaning into it. It felt foreign to feel something. Anything. He got up, and she followed. _

_I'm gonna go and talk to the nurse about getting him back home…you've got my morning classes, right?"she nodded vaguely, and hugged him again, maybe a little too tightly. He frowned._

"_Josie?"she forced a smile, holding back the damn of tears that had welled up inside of her. _

"_I'll see you later.."she said quietly, and he nodded, confused. _

_READ AND REVIEW!_


	8. Vortexes and Watches

Theories Part 8

Vortexes and Watches

Jena Rink

I don't own strange days. I am SO SO SO sorry this has taken so long to update! Trust me! Love you guys! And tell me if you want more. Its just a matter of typing it up!

Jena 

It was almost three in the morning and she still couldn't sleep. Lucas was gone, everything was a mess, Vaughn and her. What were Vaughn and her? The look in his eyes when he stared at her, be it at meetings, or otherwise, scared her half to death. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and switched off the light, trying to sleep. Her phone rang, and she groaned, rolling over and grabbing it.

"Vaughn what do you want its 3 am?" she asked, more annoyed than anything.

"I need to show you something…"he told her simply, and she snorted.

"You sound like your dad," she said, pulling on a sweatshirt and jeans, and meeting him at the front door ten minutes later. He looked excited.

"Come on.."she followed him wordlessly, walking up the long path towards the labs.

"What the hell could be so important at 3 in the morning, Vaughn?" she questioned,"Its not like you want to have a heart to heart since you ignore me half the time, and the other half your tongue is down my throat…"he looked over at her, annoyed, and opened the door with his key, pushing in the security code and going downstairs quickly.

"Would you slow down?" she questioned, rushing to keep up with him, and he stopped at a door, opening it with his card.

"What?" she asked, annoyed, as he motioned for her to sit down on the floor. There was a chi-ball in the middle of it, and she frowned.

"What is THIS about?" she asked him, and he shook his head.

"Just watch…"he told her, and closed his eyes, holding up his hands and concentrating on the ball. It started to float, and her eyes widened.

"Vaughn…"she breathed, and he opened his eyes.

"Just…grab my hands…and do the same thing…concentrate on the vortex opening.."he told her softly, and she nodded, to entranced at the possibility of getting Lucas back.

"It's worth a try.."she whispered, and closed her eyes, grasping Vaughn's hands firmly in hers. When a vortex opened to the side of them, her eyes popped open.

"Vaughn…this hurts…"she said softly, feeling her energy slip away.

"Just hold it for a few seconds longer.."he told her, and she nodded, biting her lip.

The power got too strong, and the next thing Josie knew, she was waking up, a severe ache in her head. She groaned, and sat up, staring across the room at Vaughn, who was in a simaler situation.

"How long do you think we were out?" he asked her, and she got up, kicking him in the shin,"ouch!" he said, annoyed, and sat up, glaring at her.

"You're an idiot! Do you realize what could have happened?" she asked him, and he rubbed his head.

"Besides the headache you've given me?" he asked her, climbing to his feet.

"What time is it?" she asked, and he glanced at his watch.

"My watch is all messed up…"he remarked, and she rolled her eyes, glancing at hers, which was digital.

"God! It's been twelve hours! Everyone must be freaking out…"she said, trying to ignore him and moving for the door. She stopped, and turned around.

"I have no idea how to get out of here…"she told him simply, and he nodded, a smirk of his face, opening the door and leading her down the hallway and to the main elevator. She could seriously punch him right now. Which wouldn't help him out because he had a black eye.

"Josie…"he started, and she spun around, ready to yell at him again. But then he kissed her, and she relaxed into it, pulling him into the elevator with her. What was she doing? This was insane. They barely talked.

"Stop…the elevator…"they pulled apart as it reached the main level, and she walked out, straightening her jeans and shirt and pulling her bangs over her cut forehead.

"Josie where the hell have you been its three o'clock!" Corrine said, more concerned than anything, when Josie plopped into her desk, a scowl on her face.

"Long story…"she remarked dryly," I got in a fight with a chi ball, and the chi ball won…"she added under her breath, getting to work on the Press Releases that were due this week.

"This have anything to do with Vaughn?" she rolled her eyes.

"Vaughn doesn't understand the term laboratory safety…"she bit out, as he walked in the door, clearly wanting to talk to her.

"Josie, can I talk to you about something?" he asked nervously, and she rolled her eyes.

"Not now." She said simply, getting back to work. Corrine watched the scene with interest. He touched her shoulder lightly, and she flinched.

"Later…"she bit out, "Just call my phone…" she trailed off, both of them glancing over at Corrine.

"I didn't see a thing…"she said, putting her book over her face.

"You got cut…"he noticed.

"You have a black eye, and you don't see me complaining…"she said nastily, "Just go away I have work to do…"she added under her breath.

"Fine…I'll call you tonight…"he left the office, and Corrine whistled.

"What was THAT about?" she asked, and Josie rolled her eyes.

"Nothing." She said softly, typing on her keyboard furiously.

"Vaughn's BROTHER?" Lucas burst out, and Josie covered his mouth until they were gone, only letting it go then. He glared at her, and sighed as she opened the closet door, checking both ways for signs of them.

"It's a long story…"she remarked lightly, stepping out of the closet and walking back to the room she had called home for almost six years. Lucas followed her.

"I thought you were the only one in this…" he motioned around him, and she fumed.

"I don't have a name for it either Lucas…and I've been thinking about it for a while…six years is a long time…"she said bitterly. He didn't miss the tone in her voice, and sighed.

"I told you you didn't have to…"he reminded her, and she spun around.

"You know my top is to keep time moving! I couldn't just go against that…go against everything we'd been working for!" she burst out, and calmed herself down, clenching her fists tightly, "You're making this difficult, you know that, right?"

"So if everything happens for a reason, then why the hell are you here?" he said, and she frowned.

"To stop Avenir..he's been making watches…he'll use them and he'll have all of us right where he wants us," Josie supplied, as though it were recited.

"Wait..like this?"he held it out, and her eyes widened.

"That's how you got here?" she questioned, and he nodded..

"Z had it…I didn't think…I sorta just touched it…and it…"

"Took you where you wanted to go?" she supplied, her eyes meeting his.

"Something like that…"he said softly, glancing out the window at the void surrounding them. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Well it certainly has been awhile, hasn't it?

I swear I'll post more soon. No more of this month and a half non-sense.


	9. 9

Theories

Lucas and Josie…yeah…the other josie

By Jena Rink

June 25, 2006

Same as always…

God I hate I've lost half this thing!

It's really hard to pick up the slack!

You have no idea.

Lucas sighed, frustrated, and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. This was, by far, the most complicated situation he had ever been in. He wondered vaguely if anyone actually cared he was gone. He'd become Professor Middleton to everyone but Z, he was a recluse, never talked to anyone, and now he was gone. And Lindsey saw it happen.

"Anything?" Josie, yeah, the other Josie, rolled out from beneath the platform they were on, and Lucas shook his head.

"I don't understand how this can work…"she said, frustrated, and sat down next to him, taking a sip of water and wiping her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were drooping from exhaustion. It seemed the two of them worked on Victor's device day and night, trying to get it to work, meanwhile also trying to thrwart Avenir's plans to eventually get back to the timeline where everyone was.

"My brain is fried…let's just try and relax and come at this from another angle later…"Lucas said, staring over at her. She glanced up, and they both looked away.

God she was beautiful…just as headstrong as the Josie from his timeline…smart, and dedicated to getting him back home.

"We could always try to make another watch…"Lucas suggested, and Josie shook her head.

"No…that won't work…"she told him, leaning against the pillar and reaching for the glass of water again. When their hands brushed, she glanced over at him.

"Lucas…why did you come here?" she asked him, and he sighed.

"You know why…"he responded, and she glanced away.

"Observer's can't…you know it's forbidden…"

"Are you really an observer if you're stuck here?" he asked, and she sighed.

"Lucas…please try to understand…"she said stoically.

"I'm not an assignment Josie! You're putting on the I have no emotions face…" Lucas said back, and she glanced away from him.

"Just tell me if you feel something…that's all I care about…because I felt it…when Josie came back she said you felt something too…" Josie lost it.

"I'm not her!" Josie burst out, and put her head in her hands,"I'm never going to be that Josie…"

"I know," Lucas said simply, "You're like this book I can't get into! Can't you open up? At least a little? Can't you feel?" he burst out, and his eyes widened when she kissed him soundly on the lips, pushing him backwards and laying ontop of him, her arms around his neck. When she pulled away, they were both gasping.

"I…."he started, and she kissed him again, her hands running over his chest.

"Jose…"he started, and she pulled away, clambering off of him.

"I need to take a walk…"she said shakily, and got up, going into the hallway. He stopped her.

"Josie…"she turned around," Be careful…" she nodded, and the door slid shut as Lucas leant against the machine again. She actually felt something back.

She walked through the hallways, her mind muddled. What was Lucas to her? She couldn't be with him. She couldn't be with anyone. It was forbidden. One of the first things the Janitor had taught her. But would it really hurt if they were stuck here? And what would happen if they gave in but still had to go home? She didn't notice where she was walking, and bumped into Micheal, her eyes wide.

"What's up with you? I haven't seen you in a week…" he said, pulling her into a spare room. She shook her head, and locked the door.

"Did he follow you?" she asked him seriously, and Michael shook his head.

"No…he's working…he…he made a watch…" he held it out, and Josie snatched it from him.

"This may work…" she said simply, staring at it.

"I need you to go with me…" he told her, and she shook her head.

"No, I'm not leaving Lucas here…not with that…"she made a motion which could have been taken as meaning Avenir, and Michael rolled his eyes.

"Josie…" Michael begged, his eyes pleading with hers. She sighed.

"Look, it's not that simple…we get back…then what?" she said, pacing, "Avenir is here, and Lucas is waiting for the moment when he'll open the wormhole and he can just step in?"

"We can make it work, Josie…this is more important…"

"And how are we supposed to fit in? You're Vaughn's brother…and I look exactly like her! Did you ever think of that? Not to mention what the janitor…" he cut her off.

"We need to take this chance, Josie…" she sighed, knowing he was right.

"But Lucas…"

"It's forbidden.." Michael reminded her, although his eyes said otherwise.

"You need to remind yourself that Michael Pearson…I'm not yours and I can't ever be yours…" she stormed out of the room, and he stopped her at the door.

"You know we have to do it…time says that we have to be there when the other Josie d-"she cut him off, her hands on her hips.

"You don't need to remind me of that…" Josie snapped.

"Meet me here at 11 with the watch…and don't tell Lucas…"he said, and she walked back down the hallway, more confused then when she had left.

He was asleep, and she sighed, brushing his hair out of his eyes, before siting down and writing a note quickly, slipping the watch off his wrist and kissing his forehead.

"I'll come back for you…"she whispered, and left him alone in the room.

"This is crazy…"she breathed, closing the door quietly.

"Okay…let's try it again…" Vaughn said, his breath shaking. Josie moaned from across the room, and got up, trying to stretch her shaking limbs.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked him, sitting down and grabbing his hands tightly, the cut on her forehead evident.

"They've gotta think we're fighting every night…"Vaughn said, and Josie laughed softly, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate. The ball started floating, and she felt the farmilliar pain in her head, ignoring it and trying to concentrate.

"Come on…Lucas…"she said quietly, her teeth chattering. Vaughn and Josie yelled out loud when two people phased in from behind them, and the connection got cut off.

"Well that's certainly an interesting development…" Michael remarked, and Josie backed into Vaughn, her expression baffled.

"Who the hell are you?" Vaughn asked him, and he smirked.

"Micheal Pearson…" he introduced himself, and Vaughn paled.

"But how?" Josie breathed, putting a cloth to the cut on her forehead and glancing over at them, "Wait a minute…you're my clone…"she said, noticing Josie.

"Yeah…" Josie2 said softly.

"Then where the hell is Lucas?" Josie asked her replica, her hands on her hips.

"I told you this was a bad idea…" Josie2 said, turning to face Michael.

"And I told you we had to be here when the…"she covered his mouth, her eyes alight with fury.

"Nevermind.." Michael responded.

"I'll ask you again, where the HELL is Lucas?" Josie asked Michael.

"Holding off Avenir…" Josie2 told her, and they all glanced at the door.

"How are we supposed to do this?" Vaughn asked,"You're my…brother I'm assuming…nice of mom to share that…and Josie looks just like the other Josie!"

"Wow, wait to state the obvious…" Josie remarked, going towards the door, "I'm going to go pinch myself and pray this is a dream…"she said, closing the door and leaning against it.

"Well that went really well…" Josie2 said, going after her.

"What if someone.."

"It's three am…no one is going to see us…" Josie2 said, and pushed open the door, chasing after Josie.

"Ugh!" Josie yelled, putting her head in her hands, and glanced up when her clone sat next to her.

"You left Lucas there? Why the hell did you leave Lucas there?" she asked her clone, and Josie2 sighed.

"It was short window…he'll find his way back..that I know.." Josie2 said, and Josie snorted.

"And how do you know.." Josie asked sarcastically, making air quotes with her fingers.

"I can't tell you that…" she said in response.

"For once will you please just come out and tell me what's going to happen?"Josie asked her.

"You know I can't do that…" Josie2 said back, and Josie smiled.

"I know…"

"Vaughn hasn't come around yet, has he?" Josie2 asked, and Josie sighed.

"You know everything, don't you?" she asked her, and Josie2 smiled.

"Almost.."she said back cryptically, and they both glanced up when the boys came near them.

"Boys…" Josie said, surveying them.

"God it's creepy how much you too look…" the Josies shot Vaughn an annoyed look.

"Because you're clones, I know..but still…"

"We need to make a plan…" Josie said, as the boys sat down next to them.

"Easier said then done…" Vaughn commented, and Josie glared at him.

So, what did you think?

Good, I hope.

But who knows.

Just let me know.

Jena 


	10. Labratories and Lovers

Theories

Jena Rink

Short Update- After almost three years of nothing! WOW

So turns out my long dead muse is not so dead….I've started writing again, and although this is short, I swear there is more. Its just late, and I'm exhausted.

If you are still interested in this, please let me know.

Josie stared at the piece of paper, frustration evident across her entire face. She couldn't concentrate. Her head was pounding, from the opening of the wormhole, again, to the reappearance of both her clone, and someone who turned out to be Vaughn's brother, and the resulting week that had followed. She didn't like him already. Sara and Victor had welcomed him with open arms, while the other Josie, as Josie herself like to call her, had died her hair black and claimed to be her cousin, Jenny. She was behind her in the lab, currently, working silently on something she had refused to tell Josie the origins of.

This was stupid. She should be resting.

"You should," the other Josie's voice rang out across the lab, and Josie shot her a look.

"Stop reading my mind," she said, annoyed, and the other Josie smiled knowingly.

"Who says I am?" she commented back, and Corrine bit her lip in mirth, watching the exchange with interest. Josie's cousin was interesting. She basically had free reign of the place, and Corrine had never met her, or heard of Josie speak of cousins she even saw on a regular basis growing up.

"Corrine, I'm tired. I'm going to take a nap," Josie announced finally,getting up and storming out of the lab, leaving "Jenny" and Corrine alone, staring at each other.

"What's her deal?" Corrine wondered, and Jenny sighed, shrugging her shoulders silently before getting back to work on the watch in front of her, trying to dissect it.

"She has always acted in that fashion,"Jenny said, and Corrine stared at her strangely for a moment.

"Oh-kay then. Well I'm going to lunch, do you want-"

"I am fine, thank you," Jenny responded, as Corrine left the room, totally weirded out by the presence of the other woman.

"You'd better get used to me," Jenny said under her breath, her gaze troubled. She was not allowed to interfere. This mantra kept repeating itself in her head while she fought to keep her hands steady, trying to figure out the specifics of the watch. She knew she wouldn't be able to. It was the way things were meant to be. But it didn't stop her from trying. Because none of them deserved what was about to happen to them.

"Vaughn?" Josie said in confusion, staring at his still form, resting on his futon in his office, his face turned towards the back of it. She shook his shoulder gently, afraid she'd startle him, and when he came to, he turned his head blearily to face her.

"Your eye," she said, her eyes narrowing, "You did it alone?" she hit him in the shoulder before she could stop herself,"Do you know how stupid that was! You could have been seriously hurt!" she said, amazed at the fear that was making its way through her veins. Why was she so worried about Vaughn's well being?

"Good afternoon to you too, Trent," he said sarcastically, rubbing his shoulder where she'd punched him and attempting to sit up, wincing slightly.

"Seriously. You're a wreck!" she commented, plopping down next to him on the couch, stifling a yawn.

"I think we have a pot calling the kettle black situation going on here," he told her, and she rolled her eyes, fighting the pain in her skull.

"At least I didn't try it alone!" she said, maneuvering herself so that she was laying down, her head resting on her hands as she stared up at the ceiling, feeling better already,"And you heard what your…brother said about Avenir. He could come back through that!"

"And so could Lucas," Vaughn pointed out, and Josie frowned.

"I'm taking a nap," She said in response,"I'll see you tonight. Nine. Same place," he nodded tiredly, and got up from his futon, walking towards the door.

"You want some…"

"Spaghetti. Meatballs…no cheese," she yawned, closing her eyes, and he couldn't help but smile at her as her body relaxed into slumber. He was having a hard time being stoic towards her. As angry as he was, she was melting his defenses as every week went by.

They still weren't talking in public, but in private their conversations had morphed into something almost normal, routine, like the witty banter they had exchanged while attending Blake Holsey as students.

Vaughn rounded the corner, and bumped into his brother, who gave him a strange look, and turned around, going in the other direction. Vaughn didn't catch the pity in it Michael's gaze, but it was there.

"Jo-"Michael opened the door to the lab, and Jenny shot him a look.

"There are cameras in here," she said, slightly aggravated, and he frowned.

"He's screwing it up," Michael said, and she rolled her eyes.

"We are not in charge of the specifics, Micheal, only the end result. Surely you remember that from your training. Or did Avenir really have that much of an effect on you?" Jenny questioned, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Then maybe you are right. How do we ensure that this happens?" he asked her, and she glanced down at the watch hesitantly.

"You know that's not the answer," he added a second later ,and she shot him a look.

"This is not fair to any of them. Perhaps this was a mistake," she ventured, and he shook his head.

"You are worse than I am," he told her, walking towards the door,"You know what has to happen," he closed the door just as she opened her mouth.

"That doesn't mean I want it to," she whispered, staring down at the watch in aggravation.


End file.
